home improvement store race car parts (catch can and front lip content)

On the ever continuing hunt to ball on a budget i figured i would share my recent upgrades to my z31 that were not only cheap, but also found at your local home improvement store.

First is the classic 'garden edging front lip'. I used this Garden Edging as it is pretty flexible and has well spaced tabs to help with mounting it with the curves of the bumper. I ordered it from walmart as they had it for the cheapest price.

I tried to install it by myself but trying to hold it even with the bumper and get the self-tapping screws to start proved to be challenging so having a buddy hold it in place while you get the screw sunk in really helps

The next thing i wanted on the car was a catch can. I looked at the generic ebay cans and the write-ups on how to open them up and build baffles and fill them with stainless steel wool and blah blah blah, sounded like a lot of work. Then i stumble across a couple of people using air compressor filters. They are reasonably sized and have a brass 5 micron filter in them. The only thing needed to make it ready is the drain at the bottom of the bowl is spring loaded to close once air pressure is introduced, which obviously doesn't happen when being used in a PVC system. So all you have to do is fill that drain with your favorite RTV/JB weld/whatever to seal it shut. Also depending on how you want to mount it you may have to drill and tap a hole or 2 in the top for a bracket like i did.

So far i dont have more then maybe 20 miles on the catch can so i cant speak right now about how well it works but i can update later.

and a few pictures of the car itself, you will also see my super cool single wiper mod (which drives the SWMBO insane how it sits up on the passenger side)

Very well done. that garden edge front lip looks factory. I would have thought it was had you not said what it was.

Well played! Car looks good. Guessing it's the slope of the road, but the rear looks a touch low.

I bought a White over Red leather '88 NA back in '98 when I was a Sophomore in high school. Wasn't much aftermarket then, can't imagine there is now. I still had Eibachs, Koni Yellows, and ST sways, S13 throttle body is a direct bolt-on and 5-7mm larger.

But I'm guessing you knew that last one since you have done the "sleepy eyes" mod.

z31maniac wrote: Well played! Car looks good. Guessing it's the slope of the road, but the rear looks a touch low. I bought a White over Red leather '88 NA back in '98 when I was a Sophomore in high school. Wasn't much aftermarket then, can't imagine there is now. I still had Eibachs, Koni Yellows, and ST sways, S13 throttle body is a direct bolt-on and 5-7mm larger. But I'm guessing you knew that last one since you have done the "sleepy eyes" mod.

yea i go back and forth every time i look at the car if the rear is slightly lower then the front or if its just the lines of the car that make it looks that way. it has Tokico springs in front and 88 turbo springs in the rear but i think it's missing the lower rear spring seats and the upper seats are probably well worn, both of which probably contribute the stock rear spring still being low enough to match a front lowering spring.

That looks really good. At the last VW show I went to there was a Jetta that used garden edging for a front lip. And it looked pretty good on the car even with the woodgrain texture.

Don't forget lexan/polycarbonate windows, coroplast door panels, intercooler sprayers, fire extinguishers, and (my favorite) the guy who used household light switches as manual shift control for a 4l80.

And PVC cold air intake!

I've done the PVC plumbing couplers on my intake, it works fantastically.

tuna55 wrote: I've done the PVC plumbing couplers on my intake, it works fantastically.

Note: but not for pressurized intake solutions, the heat and pressure causes them to fail. Quickly.

Stefan wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I've done the PVC plumbing couplers on my intake, it works fantastically.

Note: but not for pressurized intake solutions, the heat and pressure causes them to fail. Quickly.

or anything that will see excessive heat, on that lt1 its probably fine but i've seen PVC used on a GM fwd 3.8 where the intake goes above the exhaust crossover pipe and you could see the PVC was starting to crack and deform

edizzle89 wrote:

Stefan wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I've done the PVC plumbing couplers on my intake, it works fantastically.

Note: but not for pressurized intake solutions, the heat and pressure causes them to fail. Quickly.

or anything that will see excessive heat, on that lt1 its probably fine but i've seen PVC used on a GM fwd 3.8 where the intake goes above the exhaust crossover pipe and you could see the PVC was starting to crack and deform

The plumbing couplers. The tube is steel exhaust tubing.